Life-saving appliance.



No. 813,609. PATBNTED FEB. 27, 1906.

P. w. ZIBGLBR.

LIFE SAVING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION mun rma. 20, 1905.

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PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906/ F. W. ZIBGLER.

LIFE SAVING APPLIANCE.

APPLIGATION FILED PEB.20,1905.

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.! llllll FREDRIOK W. ZIEGLER, OF NICOLA LAKE, CANADA.

LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, i906.

Application filed February 20. 1905. Serial No. 246,589.

To all whom it may concern.

Beit known that I, FREDRIcK W. ZIEGLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nicola Lake, Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Appliances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a life-saving apparatus, and more particularly to what is commonly termed a fire-escape and it consists of certain novel features of combination and construction of parts, the preferred form whereof will be hereinafter clearly set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

The prime object of my invention, among others, is to provide a safety appliance Whereby a person may readily lower-himself to the ground from any height--as from the windows of a burning building.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple appliance which may be readily portable, cheap, and thoroughly efficient in character and which may be quickly attached, as to a window-sill, and thus be in position to receive the weight of the operator, who may slowly or quickly lower himself to a point of safety.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter made clearly apparent, reference being had to the accompanying drawings ,which are to be considered a part of this application, and in which Figure 1 shows a perspective View of my invention applied to use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of my improved fire-escape, as taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

' For convenienceof reference the various details of my invention and cooperating accessories will be designated by numerals, the same numeral applying to a similar part throughout the several views, and, referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 indicates the casing or body portion of my safety appliance or fire-escape, while 2 designates the upper end of the cable, which is wound around the grooved pulley-Wheel 3 and is provided at its upper end with any suitable form of terminal, as the hook 4, adapted to engage a window-sill or other convenient object, and as the cable 2 is normally wound upon the pulley-wheel 3 it becomes desirable to unwind or pay off the cable as the person is being lowered and also provide means for controlling the rotation of the pulley 3, so that the operator may be lowered with reasonable s eed which will insure absolute safety. ith the foregoing object in View I mount the pulley-wheel 3 upon a suitable shaft 5, and I key rigidly upon said shaft the gear-wheel 6, disposed in mesh with the controlling-gear 7, which latter is keyed upon the shaft 8, both of the shafts 5 and 8 being properly mounted in the casing 1. I also rigidly secure upon the shaft 8 the gear 9, which is disposed in mesh with the worm 10, said worm being preferably an integral part of the shaft 11, also operatively mounted in the casing 1, as shown in Fig. 2. The casing 1 is provided with an opening in its upper end, through which the cable 2 is loosely extended, said opening or slot being designated by the numeral 12. The casing 1 is also provided at its lower end with the preferably integral downward extension 13, to which a hammock or safety-belt is adapted to be secured in any suitable manner, said hammock being designed to receive and support the person using the fire-escape. By thus providing the train of gears for the control of the unwinding movement of the pulley 3 I am enabled to easily control the movement of said train of gears by means of the controllinglever 16, which is pivotally secured at its upper end to the inwardly-directed lug or ear 17, said lever being prow'ded with a conical seat 18 to receive the conical end 19 of the shaft 11 and it is obvious that when the lever is drawn toward the operator, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the conical seat 18 will be brought firmly against the conical end 19, and thus limit the speed of rotation of the shaft 11, thereby absolutely placing under the control of the operator the movement of the reel 3 and enabling him to lower himself rapidly or slowly, as desired.

It will be understood that other forms of devices than the hook 4 may be employed, if preferred, my object being to provide suitable means for safely anchoring the end of the cable, so that the operator may lower himself from any height, as from the roof or any of the windows of a burning building.

In view of the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, it is obvious that the parts of my invention may be made quite small without in any way impairing the efficiency thereof, and my invention may therefore be made of comparatively small size, so that it may be readily carried in a large pocket or in a valise, hand-bag, or the like, and a person may therefore easily fortify himself against dangers incident to a fire occurring in hotels or other buildings where he may be temporarily stopping. My safety appliance will also be found very useful in almost every home and will prove thoroughly eflicient un der any and all circumstances and conditions. The hammock or safety-belt may be made of leather, canvas, or other preferred material and is preferably made so that it may be quickly adjusted to accommodate persons of different sizes.

The part 2, which I have designated as a cable, consists simplyof a very strong wire which may be easily wound up and stored in a very small space and at the same time will be found to possess ample strength to meet all strain and requirements placed upon it.

The various parts of my invention may be cheaply and expeditiously manufactured of any desired material and any preferred size, and while I have described the desired combination and construction of elements I wish to comprehend in this application all substantial equivalents and substitutes.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The herein-described safety appliance comprising a suitable casing; a reel operatively mounted therein; a cable normally wound upon said reel; a gear keyed upon the shaft carrying said reel a controlling-gear mounted on a Worm-shaft and meshing with said gear on said reel; the worm-shaft, a second shaft, a gear upon said second shaft and cooperating with said worm to control the movement of the first-mentioned gears, and a controllinglever cooperating with said worm shaft whereby the speed of rotation thereof may be placed under the control of the operator.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDRICK W. ZIEGLER.

Witnesses:

THOMAS HESLOP, J. B. CARRINGTON. 

